Jets aim to stay flying high

Another day, another have-to-have-it situation for the Winnipeg Jets.

After earning their fifth victory in the past six games, the Jets return home for the latest critical battle, this one against a Philadelphia Flyers team that is in the midst of a playoff chase of their own.

The Jets should be riding high after a 3-2 triumph over the St. Louis Blues moved them within three points of the Los Angeles Kings in the chase for the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference.

Both the Jets and Kings have four games left in the regular season, while the Nashville Predators (who are two up on Winnipeg and one behind Los Angeles) have three remaining.

The pathway to a playoff spot for the Jets remains pretty straightforward — win out and hope that the Predators and Kings chalk up a couple of losses.

What the Jets have done remarkably well coming out of the Olympic break is putting the blinders on and zoning in on the next opponent.

The Flyers have won three of their past four outings, but got drilled 6-3 by the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, so Rick Tocchet’s group figures to be in a surly mood Saturday night.

Of course the Jets have been paying attention to what is happening on the out-of-town scoreboard, but those results mean little if they don’t take care of their own business.

With the exception of the hiccup against the Dallas Stars last week, that’s precisely what the Jets have been doing.

A renewed commitment to the defensive structure that had become their calling card during the past several seasons has been apparent, the latest example coming in Thursday’s win over the Blues — who were held to just three shots on goal and one high-danger chance in the third period.

The Jets are playing faster in all three zones, which means the forecheck has been more effective and the team is spending more time on the offensive rather than getting bogged down defending for extended periods of time.

Jonathan Toews providing the game-winning goal on Thursday was the latest example of secondary scoring showing up when the Jets have needed it most. Alex Iafallo, who has been promoted to the top line, is also providing complementary offence, notching his 13th goal of the season to even the score with the Blues in the first period.

Jets centre Mark Scheifele chipped in a pair of assists and moved to 99 points for the season.

He’s one point shy of Marian Hossa for the most points in Jets 2.0/Thrashers franchise history and enters weekend action tied with David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins for fifth place in NHL scoring.

Only Connor McDavid (133), Nikita Kucherov (128), Nathan MacKinnon (126) and Macklin Celebrini (108) have more points for their respective teams so far this season.

“He is the last guy off the ice a lot,” Jets forward Brad Lambert said of Scheifele this week. “Someone with (903 career) points who continues to work that hard and continues to find things to improve in his game, it is special to watch.”

The Flyers haven’t spent much time above the playoff line this season, but they’ve found an identity under Tocchet and they’ve been led offensively by Travis Konecny (27 goals, 67 points) and Trevor Zegras (25 goals, 66 points), whose resurgence after coming over in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks has been impressive.

Right-winger Owen Tippett leads the Flyers in goals with 28, while Elkhorn product Travis Sanheim is having another solid season on defence (10 goals, 36 points to sit seventh in team scoring while playing in all situations and averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game).

After signing with the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent following several seasons as the Calgary Flames’ backup, Dan Vladar has carried the mail, making 50 appearances (and 49 starts).

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is set to make a ninth consecutive start and he’ll be between the pipes for the 20th time in the past 22 games.

In case you’re concerned he could be running on fumes, the Jets have done a good job of limiting the quality and quantity of the shots and scoring chances he’s been facing of late — giving up 24 shots or fewer in each of the past six outings.

Hellebuyck has said over the years he prefers to be in a rhythm during the stretch run and enjoys a heavy workload; his results suggest he’s got plenty left in the tank.

During a recent interview, Hellebuyck expanded on listening to his body and recognizing when he might need a chance to recharge and when he needs to be on the ice to work on the finer details of his game.

“I do very much enjoy the management side of the game. For me, it’s not just, you’re playing every single night, get your rest and play,” said Hellebuyck. “There’s more to it. When are we going to activate the muscles, when am I going to get a little lift in? When is rest more important, when is the morning skate important? All of that management is really fun to me because that’s where you can make small strides that actually make a big difference.”

Hellebuyck is methodical in his preparation and his competitive spirit isn’t the only thing at work either.

“Experience does play a huge role. For me, I am a bit of an overthinker, so to have something else to think about and not nitpick my goalie game is kind of nice,” said Hellebuyck. “My mind has got to be somewhere, so I might as well keep it task oriented.”

VILARDI NOMINATED: Forward Gabe Vilardi is the Jets nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually to the player who “best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.”

winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe